Why do teams sign older pitchers when they have younger hurlers in the minors?

Kevin Millwood is 37. Bartolo Colon is 39. Jamie Moyer is 49 and coming off Tommy Johnsurgery. Each signed this winter with a team that should be looking to rebuild with young players. What do these teams hope for—or expect to gain—by adding these old pitchers? What should they expect?

With the common and easy argument being that such pitchers block youngsters from getting a chance, why are the old guys here? Will they mentor the kids, soak up innings, or help make fans feel younger? All of the above and more?

Though the Rockies aren't going to contend this year, their curious decision to sign Kevin Millwood sends signals about player evaluation.

One of the more curious moves in the 2011 NL West occurred last week when the Colorado Rockies signed 36-year-old right-hander Kevin Millwood to replace the injuredJuan Nicasio in the rotation. Millwood started for the Rockies on Wednesday night in Cincinnati and lost, 3-2. He pitched fairly well (7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 SO), his only blemishes being three solo homers.

Going into Monday evening's game against the Blue Jays, the Yankees had every reason to feel good about themselves, having come from behind the night before to secure a stirring 10-inning victory over the Red Sox. With one more win (or a Red Sox loss) they would clinch a spot in the playoffs. Alas, by the third inning Monday night, it was clear the Yankees would be uncorking no champagne, as starter A.J. Burnett dug them a 7-0 hole by allowing two homers, seven hits, and seven runs while retiring just seven hitters. Had the Yankees been at home, Burnett would have been booed off the mound by the Bronx faithful, but as this was a road game, Yankees fans were left to hurl rotten tomatoes and blue epithets at their TVs.

The Rays seek to rebound, the Rangers are already up, and the Orioles launch the Wieters Era this coming weekend.

Joe Maddon used a football analogy to describe the play of his Rays up to this point in the season. "It's like you play the worst first half of football possible in the Super Bowl, but still only trail by a touchdown at halftime," last season's American League Manager of the Year said. Maddon was referring to his beloved Arizona Cardinals and their performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl in February.

A few of the different lenses we can look through to help us find "that guy."

This early in the season, everyone is always searching for that pitcher whose newfound success no one knew was coming. That's the kind of acquisition that can push your team over the top if your guess is correct. The last few days I've been asked about Kevin Millwood, and whether or not I think his performance from his first two starts means anything-is he that guy this year? I hadn't looked at it previously, but I thought that the question would serve as a decent thought experiment, where I can show you some of the ways that I look at pitchers while analyzing them. Let's find the answer together, shall we?